Rise And Fall of the False God
by Rogue Deceit
Summary: An adventure through time and love takes Sesshomaru and Kagome through a whirl wind of action and romance that ends on a note no one could have imagined.
1. Chapter Zero (Prologue)

**This is the mandatory disclaimer.**

**Part One: Here we go. For all of the morons out there who need this. This is a complete work of fiction, any and all similarities between any and all persons, living and or dead and the characters depicted in the pages of this story are completely and totally coincidental!**

**Part Two: In the second section of the disclaimer is where I tell you that there is mild language and descriptive death here, originally there was going to be no sex… but you know… stories kind of take a life of their own. . so… there is!. That is it for the warnings. **

**Part Three: I DON'T OWN INUYASHA! I am sorry to this fact, and more so if it bursts any bubbles.**

**For those of you who have read this same BS on a million stories today, I apologize, but it is the mandatory disclaimer, and now we can return to our regularly scheduled fan fiction just beginning.**

**Also let it be known that I started this story before the most resent seasons of Inu Yasha so some of the information won't line up. Don't like. Don't read it.**

* * *

**Introduction (Prologue) **

_What is it really_

_That's going on here?_

_You've got the system_

_For Total Control_

_**-Powerman 5000 **__When Worlds Collide_

The calm of the night air was shattered! The blackness of the serine scene of twilight blues exploded in a sea of orange flame. Through the burst of light a dark figure was thrown to the ground, rolling a few hundred yards before a large tree broke the inertia of his moving mass and he came to an abrupt stop, knocking the wind out of him, leaving him gasping for air. Rolling! Gasping! He didn't roll, he didn't fall, he certainly didn't gasp for air, and he never lost! It was just some things that he Did Not Do.

His chest felt as though it had been collapsed, his kimono torn, his armor shattered. Slowly he gathered those graceful limbs under his body and pushed himself up onto his hands and knees, the mane of silvery white hair veiling around his slender and delicate features. He lifted a eloquent arm and brushed the white locks from his eyes, the enemy was nowhere to be seen, and this did little to ease his dread. Dread! Another thing that he simply Did Not Do. The list was growing, and tonight it seemed he was hell bent to break his own personal rules that he had so carefully and with precise calculations laid out for him so many years back!

After fighting Naraku he never thought that he would find anyone that could do more damage to him in a single blow, but this new villain had taken everything that he cared for, and believed and destroyed it, and now his only choice was to fight him or become his dog, that was another thing that he Did Not Do, he never, never ever played lap dog to any being! EVER! Long legs unfolded, bringing his body back to the pose of stature that he always kept, regaining the dignity that hitting the ground in such a graceless way had cost him, his golden eyes glancing about the clearing in which he stood, but there was nothing.

"Sesshomaru!" He heard, the annoying voice of his brother call out to him, he could hear the hanyou's footsteps advancing on him from behind, he knew that he had the Tetsusaiga drawn, but InuYasha was the least of his worries right now, they were after all, tentative allies at the moment. That was when he heard it, felt it, the buzz that Rimiku's body released before he attacked.

"Stop." The stoic and calm tones of Sesshomaru cut the air as he spun to face InuYasha, that white hair flaring out and then settling, without hesitation the hanyou ceased his advance and remained stationary, those twin white ears, flexing slightly, twitching in the wind to strain, listening, to see why he was ordered to stop. "Rimiku is here!"

They had been fighting him together, or as close to together as the two of them could be, since the beginning. Kagome was gone, and the bone eater well was closed to her forever. Rimiku surfaced only a year after Naraku's defeat. Sesshomaru had first seen him, the small boy, standing only to Sesshomaru's hip, no bigger than Rin, with wide mismatched eyes, one green, one blue, with fair colored hair, and pale skin, in his court. He thought the boy was human…

"_I want to talk to the great ruler of the Western Lands!" The boy had said stomping his foot like a child in the throes of a tantrum. Sesshomaru watched from a distance with mild disgust as his guards resisted. But at this last command, they jolted as if hit by something and turned, telling the boy to follow them. Sesshomaru growled as his guards brought the boy closer, he didn't fully understand why it was happening._

"_What is it you want mortal?" Sesshomaru said coldly at him, his poise and stoic natured never changing, but inside he wondered if the boy was actually a mortal at all, seeing as he had dominated his guards into compliance. The king took a deep breath inhaling his scent, he smelled human, the rotting stench of the human body emanating from every pore of his being._

"_I want your help." The boy said, his enchanting mismatched eyes locking on the icy golden eyes of the demon king. Sesshomaru had already decided that he would deny this request, for one, he forced his way into his court, took forceful control of his guards, and he was not on his knees with his face to the floor as was proper when you wanted something from someone. "I want you."_

"_Excuse me?" The words had shocked him, but he didn't show it. Inside he contemplated the meaning of the boy's words, what could he possibly mean that he wanted Sesshomaru. Certainly he was too young to understand the sexual implications of those words, and yet, he was far old enough to know that was something you just did not demand of a king in his court._

"_I want you to serve me like the dog that you are." A sadistic smile had coiled over the boy's lips, that was the first time he had ever heard the hum, it was annoying, more so than the high toned whistles that man used to train their canines!_

"_How dare you!" The squeaky voice of Jakken came as Sesshomaru simply stared on as if unaffected. "Sesshomaru-sama serves no man!"_

"_I am not a man." The boy said. "Don't you know what I am? I am a god."_

"_A god." Sesshomaru said rising now to his feet, gesturing that Jakken should back down. He had many times before defeated enemies that thought themselves gods, but most were little more than power crazed youkai and mortals that had gotten hold of a jewel shard. "I have killed that which thought it self a god before. Jakken, take Rin and go."_

"_Hai Sesshomaru-sama!" Jakken said as the little girl with the dark hair ran up to Jakken. She appeared no older than the child that now stood before Sesshomaru claiming to be a god. Impossible, the boy had some power, but a god? There was no way!_

"_No one leaves until I get the ruler of the Western Lands as my pet!" The boy called out, there was a pulse and the buzzing got loader as the room rumbled, several of the guards grabbed their heads and screamed as the swelling in their brains caused their eyes to burst from their sockets. Sesshomaru simply looked on unaffected and untouched as those who had served him loyally bled from the eye sockets, mouth, nose and ears, falling dead. The huge doors, which took four youkai to open, were slammed closed as if made of paper. "Now Sesshomaru-sama, have you reconsidered my proposal?"_

_Sesshomaru said nothing, but inside there was turmoil. He didn't know what to do; he had never seen so much power in such a small shell. He glanced down as the figure of Rin clung to his leg, hiding behind the large fluffy boa of fur that was wrapped around his body. If he did not accept, it would put Rin in danger, if he did, he would become this boy's pet? Unheard of! He wouldn't have it! He could move fast enough to stop this boy from harming Rin, and if that was the case, he could have it all. Sesshomaru always got what he wanted, and what he wanted now was the body of this insolent brat impaled upon his poisonous claws._

"_Sesshomaru-sama!" She gasped. "I'm scared."_

_She had never admitted being scared before, and he had never seen such fear in her eyes, it seemed to will him into action in a way he could never explain. It was the effect that Rin had on him, that was, from what he was told, the same effect that Kagome, the human miko from the future had on his half-brother InuYasha.._

"_I see…" The boy said thoughtfully as Sesshomaru drew his Tokijin. "I cannot have you because you belong to another. If you are this girl's pet, than I simply must kill her and take you from her, no mortal child deserves a pet like that great king Sesshomaru!"_

"_I belong to no one." Sesshomaru finally said as he swung the blade, the energy burst that came from it disintegrating everything in its path, including a few of his own men._

"_Good shot Sesshomaru-sama! You showed that little upstart, a god indeed, nothing but a child, and how could a child dare hope to stand up to the great king Sesshomaru-sama…" And on and on Jakken was droning, but Sesshomaru never did listen to him much. He watched coldly as the smoke cleared, and his eyes widened only very slightly as the figure of the child remained, just as he had been, untouched._

"_I expected more." The child said, he sounded a bit disappointed. "I thought for sure the was more to the great Sesshomaru than that."_

_The boy raised his hand and the buzzing grew again._

"_NO!" He heard Rin's voice call out. His eyes looked down at the little girl that put herself between him and the boy. "Don't! Don't hurt him!"_

"_And why?" The boy asked, canting his head, the buzzing slowed for a moment as he held back his attack._

"_Because…" She cried. "Because I love him!"_

_The words echoed through Sesshomaru's head. Love? She loved him? She had never said that before. He looked down at her now, not taking those words in stride as he had so many other redeeming things that she had said about him. Usually he said nothing, did nothing when she preached about how good he was to her, but love… love?_

"_Love?" The boy said. "You love a pet enough to put yourself in harm's way?"_

"_He is not my pet!" She said glaring at the fair skinned boy. "He is my… well… he is like my father!"_

_Father? Sesshomaru this time looked at the other boy. She thought of him like a father, his golden eyes seemed untouched as the girl spoke of him, but she was saying things that he had never heard her say before, even when eavesdropping on her conversations with Jakken._

"_You are pathetic. Like the children raised by wolves that call their wolves family. He is not your father, he is your dog, and now he cowers behind you." The boy said. "Yet still you to not deserve his protection, you are only human, and like the rest of them, you are vile and corrupt, and I will kill you, and take your dog, or father, or whatever you call him from you!"_

_Sesshomaru moved forward, grabbing Rin as that humming spiked and pulsed. He turned his back and took the brunt of the blow, or so he thought. But it was a sonic attack, the air around him vibrated, he could feel his blood within his body vibrating it was excruciatingly painful, his golden eyes watched in horror, his ears barely registering the sounds of her screams as the blood started to pool around her eyes, looking up at him in horror!_

"_Rin." He said softly, he covered her ears, her body with his own, but the vibrations were coursing through the very air itself and there was nothing that he could do to stop them. He felt her body give its final jerk as the last of the life escaped it. Sesshomaru stared at her dead form in horror. The heat building behind his eyes he felt his body struggle to remain in control of his emotions, he couldn't shift now, he would be too unstable on three legs to be any good… so those glowing red eyes just stared at the dead child… his child…_

"_Sesshomaru-sama!" Jakken screamed out and the second wave was launched at him, Sesshomaru never really liked Jakken, but he had served him well, so Sesshomaru lurched himself forward, again in an attempt to protect his servants from the death his hesitation had brought them, but like with Rin he couldn't save him from the sonic vibrations of the air. He could feel the warmth of his own blood pooling around and trickling from his eyes, but he was too strong for this attack to kill him._

"Rimiku?" InuYasha asked, snapping Sesshomaru back from his memory. "Where?"

"I don't know, listen you mongrel, can't you hear it." Sesshomaru said coldly. "Can't you hear the buzzing?"

"Yeah, you pampered poodle, I can hear it! But where is it coming from?" InuYasha growled back. The comment was a definite blow to Sesshomaru's already wounded pride, but again he did one of the things that he Did Not Do. He ignored the blow, because there was a more dire situation at hand than InuYasha's perception of him. Everything was still, other than the wind, as the brothers stood side by side. The only movement would be the red and white of the fabric that they wore, and the silvery white brushing of their hair in the breeze. Suddenly InuYasha's ears twisted on his head and lurched forward, tackling Sesshomaru to the ground, again, he found himself falling, again it was something that he Did Not Do. But the ground exploded where InuYasha and himself had been standing only moments before and he was, for the first time in his memories, relieved that InuYasha had been there.

The hanyou was on his feet, the Tetsusaiga drawn, and Sesshomaru again, gracefully gathered himself to his feet, drawing the Tokijin.

"If we combine the attack, at the same time, like Kagome and I used to do…" InuYasha said drawing the blade back. Sesshomaru nodded in agreement, working with the hanyou this once would be worth it if this boy were to die in the process.

That was when he showed himself. Sitting on the ground at the base of the tree that Sesshomaru had met intimately earlier. He was laughing at them as if they were great amusement. It annoyed Sesshomaru, but unlike the rage twisting onto InuYasha's face, it didn't show on the Demon Kings delicate features. InuYasha unleashed the Wind Scar and Sesshomaru unleashed his own attack, leaving a crater in the earth where the boy had been. Tree, ground, rocks and everything was gone… everything but Rimiku, who floated there, still seated and still giggling insanely. He was insane, most certainly, that wouldn't surprise Sesshomaru in the least if the boy were insane, surely the amount of power that he had pulsing through his body would cause insanity in a creature that still, even as he readied himself for a powerful attack, the hum coming from him almost deafening, smelled human!

The boy seemed to come to his feet, even though he was floating, so he technically just uncurled, his feet spread out, as if bracing himself on something, his hands coming up over his head. A purple glow would come from his hands and suddenly the world started to shake, the ground under their feet cracking, giant fissures opening. The demon cloud appeared around Sesshomaru's feet, and he grabbed his half-brother by the nape of the neck before the hanyou could fall to his doom, something that three weeks ago he never would have done, but it didn't matter now, he knew he could not fight Rimiku on his own, and so he needed his hanyou brother alive for now. Compromise… still another thing he Did Not Do… but he had. Damn Rimiku!

"That was close!" InuYasha gasped looking down at the ground opening below him. He didn't even seem to notice, or care to notice at the moment that Sesshomaru had him like a mere puppy by the nape of the neck.

"Too close." The stoic voice of Sesshomaru answered, he pulled InuYasha up onto the demon cloud and placed his clawed fingers to his lips, blowing through the thumb and forefinger, a sharp whistle pierced the air, which was when the two headed dragon like demon horse Ah and Un, appeared before them. Sesshomaru pulled himself onto the steed's back, and his brother behind him.

"Oh, you escaped the opening of the earth!" Rimiku laughed. For the first time Sesshomaru noticed that the boy was bleeding, he had not come out of the duel attack unharmed, there was blood on the side of his face, and dripping off his fingertips, and for the first time, Sesshomaru found a glimmer of hope. He had almost started to believe that the boy might in fact be the god that he claimed to be.

"Oh shaddup you rat brat bastard!" InuYasha growled at him. "Shaddup and die already!"

With that the Tetsusaiga was swung once more and the Wind Scar again unleashed, a perfect hit to the boy, but it did little other than splatter his blood against the tree and cause him to stop talking for a moment.

"No. You die _InuYasha_! I call to and beg of you, the four gods that aid my cries, the turmoil of the water, the rage of war! Come to me!" He growled back again his hands came up; clapping over his head and a blue light filled the clearing and then faded. Sesshomaru looked back, but InuYasha was still sitting there, unharmed by the light, as was he…

"Oh yeah… that hur…" But InuYasha stopped in his taunting as a large blue-scaled foot came from one of the fissures, its claws digging into the soil, and then a second, something was coming from the hole. "Oh god…"

"A dragon." Sesshomaru growled. "How droll."

"Droll?" InuYasha asked glaring at his half-brother. "Droll? How in the hell can a fucking dragon be droll! After this Sesshomaru, we need to sit down and talk about the meaning of the word droll!"

The serpentine head of the dragon pushed up now, it's long body next, without wings the creature coiled into the air. It was huge, even Sesshomaru had never seen a dragon alive that had ever in his life, grown to be that large.

The four gods? Was that what the boy said, so he himself was only human, and these four gods were what kept him alive? Odd. Well be that the case than this must be the spiritual representation of the Water God, the God of the West, and the God of War, Sariyu, this should have been his god, as the Ruler of the Western Lands, the god of Sariyu stood over the House of the Moon, it was infuriating that this whelp would use the god of Sesshomaru's own lands against him. The roar that the dragon emitted was deafening, and the two Inus with sensitive hearing would clasp their hands to their ears.

"Kirara!" InuYasha growled, the duel tailed horse sized cat took to air, fire surrounded her clawed feet and the tips of her tails as she rain through the air coming up next to the demon horses side. InuYasha slipped onto Kirara's back and they moved one way, as Sesshomaru moved the other, flanking the creature. InuYasha unleashed another powerful attack, but the dragon survived it, not unharmed. Its attention seemed to be drawn to InuYasha, as he was who the boy had summoned it on.

Sesshomaru was never one to leave a good opening untaken, unless it came to killing his brother. He would come around, his one hand began to glow as he pushed himself off of the horse and onto the dragon's face, as he slipped across the air he could feel his claws slip through the massive beasts scales, feel them melting and rotting beneath the poisoned, acidic claws of his hand. By the time Sesshomaru landed he was in his dog form, his one forefoot centered under his body for support, back legs spread for stability. He had been practicing moving on three legs. He had seen a three-legged wolf take down a springbuck, and it had given him hope. He had found himself able to move almost as well as before even with the missing forelimb.

The dragon was distracted, leaving InuYasha to go after Rimiku. He pulled on Kirara's main and she turned toward the boy, a threatening roar coming from between her dangerous maw of teeth as she charged him, InuYasha's blade pulled back. Yet the boy simply smiled at him, as if he welcomed another round with the Tetsusaiga.

The dragon rounded, those teeth coming down to meet with the ground as Sesshomaru jumped up and out of the way at the last moment, he would lurch his head forward, his teeth, dripping with the same poisonous acid that came from his claws would bare down into the dragon's eye, the claws of his front foot digging into the already decaying scale on his nose as those back feet, kicked and clawed with a rapid furry. The dragon rose again, shaking its head to dislodge the giant dog with some difficulty.

"Wind Scar!" Again InuYasha used his famous move, but again it did little more than irritate the boy, again the hum started around his body as he himself flew forward, Kirara however was a master in the air, and dodged the boy, not without some difficulty, cutting it close enough that InuYasha found himself praying before he realized that the boy was now above him. He grabbed Kirara's mane and moved her again right before the boy darted down on them, and again unleashed another of his attacks toward the descending boy.

Sesshomaru hit the ground and slid, his single forefoot dug into the ground as he pulled himself to stop, his white head rising to look at the dragon, red eyes narrowed, lips drawn back, the mane of fur that surrounded his body where the air loom lay was spiked as was the fur along the base of his neck and tail. He leapt again, this time those teeth and claws mauling the soft underbelly of the dragon, it tossed its head back and roared.

The buzz spiked again and InuYasha couldn't hear, he couldn't think. He felt Kirara drop from under him, returning to the adorable little two-tailed kitten that she was when she wasn't needed; the throbbing that was causing InuYasha's pain must have disrupted her concentration. Now he was falling. _It is all over now InuYasha, the last thing that Sesshomaru has will die now, and then he will be mine!_ InuYasha heard in the buzzing. He heard a distant scream, wondering whom it was that was screaming. As his clawed hands came up to his ears he realized that it was his own voice he was trying to block out. He never felt himself hit the ground; the pressure behind his eyes was too great. _You are stronger than most, but not as strong as Sesshomaru. You will die… it will just hurt more._

Sesshomaru was again thrown clear of the dragon, but it was direly wounded now. He saw the large fiery cat vanish and his brother falling, clutching his ears, screaming. He knew what it was, it had killed Rin, and Jakken! He lurched forward, in an attempt to get to his brother, or to the boy to stop him but he was suddenly caught in the cage of teeth of the dragon, a pained yowl escaped him, he couldn't remember the last time, even in dog form he had yipped in pain. He rounded his head, digging those poisoned teeth into the dragon's gums, forcing it to release him, and moved to where his brother lay writhing on the ground.

InuYasha had been in many places, and many times the pain had overcome him, but never like this, it was like every nerve, every blood cell was betraying him. He couldn't quell his own screaming. It seemed like forever as the world turned first red and finally black.

"Take it!" InuYasha growled as he heard the three feet of his brother land over him, then the energy burst as he became small again. "Take Tetsusaiga!"

Sesshomaru knew he knew he was dying, there was nothing that Sesshomaru could do to stop it, the wounds of the dragon's bite were festering like the bite of a Komodo dragon, and he knew it wouldn't kill him, he was a demon, but the pain was unbelievable. He knew that before it cleared from his system he would wish he were dead. Sesshomaru reached over grabbing the Tetsusaiga and recoiled as it burned his hand.

InuYasha felt the last of himself leaving the body that had caged him for so long.

_Come on InuYasha_ a sweet voice called to him. _Come to me._

He looked up to see his mother and Kikyo standing side by side with open hands beckoning him, and then looked back, his brother was stripping the fire rat haori off of him, and wrapping it around Tetsusaiga so that he could hold it.

_Will he be all right?_ InuYasha asked, looking into the awaiting eyes of his mother.

_Only time will tell InuYasha, now come with us, you do not belong here any longer._ With that he retreated into the loving embrace of his mother, and taking Kikyo's hand, InuYasha was gone.

Sesshomaru grabbed Tetsusaiga in the robe and leapt away from his brother's corpse as the ground exploded, as Rimiku had burned his father's home to keep him from resurrecting Rin and Jakken, he now burned his brother as well, midflight he was grabbed in the teeth of the rotting dragon, it was almost dead, the poison he delivered killing it slowly, and he was shaken and thrown, again the pain wracked his body as he hit something and then fell down a shaft… it took him a moment, to realize that this was the fabled Bone Eater's Well. He struck the bottom of the well… and all faded to black.


	2. Chapter One (Dog in the Barn)

**Chapter One (Dog in the Barn)**

_You wandered in_

_And bumped your head_

_If not for me_

_Than you'd be dead_

_**-3 Doors Down**__ Kryptonite_

"Kagome!" A voice screamed out. "Kagome! The well lit up, and there is someone in it!"

Kagome's little brother moved out of the shrine around the old bone eaters well. He ran into the house yelling at the top of his lungs. Kagome was in her room, laying on her belly on her bed and trying not to think about You Know Who. She had on a headset and was listening to the newest and most up and coming J-Pop band, what else. Her door was closed, but that didn't seem to stop the little pipsqueak from running into her room like he owned it.

"Sota!" She growled at him, sitting up and pulling off her headset. Her large brown eyes narrowing dangerously at her little brother as he skidded to a stop. "What do you think you're doing, just running in here like you are on fire…"

"Kagome!"

"…you do this all the time, you don't stop to think about what I could be doing, or that this is my space…"

"Kagome!"

"…no you just have to come barging in here like you own it. Well you don't! This is my room…"

"_Kagome!_"

"…what if I had been getting changed did you stop to think about that!"

"_KAGOME!"_

"_WHAT!" _She yelled back at him, finally acknowledging the fact that he had been speaking to her at all, which in truth she hadn't noticed; she was too busy trying to get her point across. She was standing now, her fists balled, her feet apart, her brown eyes narrowed, like she used to do every time her and You Know Who used to get into a fight.

"_Someone is in the well!"_ He said stomping his foot to accentuate the point. His own eyes, much like hers were narrowed now, he loved his sister, but sometimes she was so stupid.

"Well tell them to get out…" Kagome said dumbly. She was standing there looking shocked, this was the important news that he had to barge into her room to tell her, those idiot kids played in the shrine all the time, and sometimes they went down into it. She had tried to stop them, but her mother said that it didn't do any harm. No harm indeed? Look at the mess that stupid well had gotten her into.

"Baka Onee-chan." Sota growled knocking on her head to get her attention. "No one went into the well. But someone is in it. It lit up, and I can't see who is down there, what if it is InuYasha!"

"Inu… Yasha?" She asked, as if the implications of the words he spoke only now completely took their impact on her.

"Yeah Baka!" He said, his small fists balled on his hips as he looked up at her. "You know the guy with the ears…" When he said that he would take his fingers and place them so two of them stuck up, wiggling them like InuYasha used to wiggle his ears.

"_I know who he is!_" She suddenly yelled, running past him and out of the house without even putting on her shoes. She ran into the bone eaters well and jumped over the edge. When she hit the bottom there was a sharp pain in her feet from the stones and other things that children through into the well cutting into her bare feet, but she didn't care, her InuYasha might be here! "InuYasha?"

She didn't hear anything, but she could see the figure. Then the small mewing sound.

"Kirara?" She asked. She leaned down and lifted up the two-tailed kitten, petting her head, and now she knew for sure it had to be InuYasha! She dropped the kitten and ran over the figure that she saw, he was lying on his side, and all she could see was the mop of white hair. Her heart jumped as she threw herself onto her knees next to him, ignoring the stones that scraped and cut at her knees as she did so. There was a raspy breath drawn, it sounded painful, and there was the smell of rotting flesh, or maybe it was more festering wounds. She grabbed his shoulder, pulling him onto his back and gasped, jumping to her feet, pinning herself against the wall. The figure that unfurled was that of Sesshomaru! The crowned prince of the Inu! She stood there blinking at his serine face, her eyes tracing over the red markings that trailed up his cheeks from each pointed ear, then scanning over the crescent moon on his forehead. Then did it all again, running down the white robes and back up again. While he was sprawled there, in a much undignified manner that Sesshomaru would never do, he was most definitely not InuYasha, there was no doubting that the figure from that world that had appeared in her well, was in fact… Sesshomaru.

"Is it him, Onee-chan?" Sota called down the well. "Is it InuYasha?"

"Sota. Run." She said clearly to the boy, her own voice cracking. Sesshomaru would think nothing of killing her, and Sota should he cross him.

"Onee-chan!" Sota hollered down the hole. "What do you mean run? Is it InuYasha or not!"

"No." She said softly. She knew how much he hated loud noises around him, and the last thing that she really wanted to do right now was to offend him, or wake him up in any other way other than what he would like to be woken. "It is not InuYasha, it is someone else. And it is dangerous now please Sota… run."

He could hear the silent plea in her voice, and suddenly he was scared. He remembered some of the horror stories that she had told him of the things that were there, the things that wanted to hurt people, all people. What if one of those things had come into their well? What was he supposed to do? Just run away and leave her there to face it?

"I can't do that… what if…"

"Shush!" Kagome gasped as Sesshomaru's eyes cracked. He was stirring and Sota refused to leave, how was she going to explain to her mother that Sota died because something came through the well and he wouldn't listen to her. She didn't move forward, but decided to speak to him, hopefully it wouldn't backfire on her. "Sesshomaru…"

"_Sesshomaru!_" Sota cried out loudly. Kagome winced as Sesshomaru cringed, a low, beast like growl sputtering from his throat as those eyes flashed red and focused in the direction of the offending noise. "Isn't he InuYasha's rat brother?"

_Oh gods Sota shut up!_ Kagome mentally screamed at her brother, but she dared not yell at him. She was afraid that if she did, she would set him off even more. She looked at him closer now, he seemed really injured, his air loom and armor was gone, he was only wearing the white haori with red flower pattern on the sleeves, and his long silver hair was a mess around his seemingly angelic visage. The tears came to her eyes, for a moment she almost believed that she would find InuYasha in this well. A dry sob came as those red eyes slipped closed again, and slowly she felt his cold energy drain.

"Kagome?" She heard again.

"Sota, please. Please leave…" She cried. "He won't hurt me…" she was hoping anyway. "… but he won't think twice about killing you."

"Kagome?" He called once more.

"JUST DO IT!" She shrieked. Mistake, those red eyes flashed open again and this time Sesshomaru rose to his feet, something falling to the ground next to him, clattering like metal on the floor. "Oh my god! SOTA RUN!"

She was too late, the lithe figure of Sesshomaru lowered itself slightly, gathering his muscles under him, and leapt into the air, easily vaulting him out of the well. She heard her bother scream in shock. Oh gods she hoped it wasn't too late, running for the latter she tripped over the item that had clattered to the floor, falling to the floor and scrapping up her thigh and her elbows as she did. She looked back at it and she saw two things, something wrapped up in bright red fabric, and the Tenseiga, the sword that did for Sesshomaru what Tetsusaiga had done for InuYasha, she grabbed both items as she felt herself floating out of the well in Kirara's mouth. She hadn't even noticed that she had changed to her large form.

As they came over the top of the well, the youkai prince was standing, his body pulsing, his red eyes trained on Sota, who was curled up in a ball a few feet back staring at him in horror.

"Help me Kagome!" Sota cried out, which was answered with a sharp growl from Sesshomaru.

"Kirara!" Kagome cried putting Kirara and herself between the near frenzied Sesshomaru and Sota. She leapt from the cat's back.

"Sesshomaru!" She cried out, glaring at him. She held up his sword so that he could see it. His red eyes rounding on her, his energy causing his robes and hair to move and ripple even if there was no wind to take them.

"That Tenseiga belongs to This Sesshomaru!" He growled at her, his voice not the calm mask it always held, but more of the growling mess that InuYasha's became when he threatened to let loose the monster.

"Well if This Sesshomaru wants This Tenseiga, he can have it!" She growled throwing it to him, in one fluid movement, as the sword was in the air, Sesshomaru spun and grabbed, completing his ballet like maneuver he brought the blade around and placed it against Kagome's neck, thank god she knew it couldn't kill.

"This Sesshomaru will take your life with his own claws." Sesshomaru growled, there was a pulse and Sesshomaru stumbled back as if struck. His red eyes calming back to the gold ones, the look of rage melting into the serine mask of ice that he usually had.

"Sesshomaru, what are you doing here?" Kagome asked, she now had her back against Kirara, and she could hear Sota cowering behind the large beast.

"This Sesshomaru does not know where he is. This Sesshomaru is… ill…" He said, his hand running over an oozing wound on his side, some yellowish fluid spilled from it, and again the smell of skin rot assaulted her nose, so strong even she could smell it, she could only think what the arrogant prince was thinking of the fact he smelt so bad. He never admitted a weakness, whatever the infection was that was running its course through Sesshomaru's body, must have certainly been affecting his mind as well.

"Sesshomaru."

"This Sesshomaru does not know who This Miko is." He said, he could feel that she was a Miko, but he didn't recognize her, partially because he never paid any attention to her, and partially because he just couldn't see her well. Suddenly his legs gave out.

"Sesshomaru… Kirara!" The cat moved like lightning, slipping under the falling figure of Sesshomaru as he again passed out, unconscious. Emboldened by the pitiful state of the demon prince's stature, she would come forward, brushing some of that silvery mane out of his face. She ran her cool hand over his burning skin. Ill? Hardly, this was the type of infection that would kill a human over night; she was surprised he had the will to move at all, youkai or not.

"K… Ka…_KAGOME!_" He brother threw himself against her leg, clinging to her. "He was _so_ scary! I thought he was going to kill me Kagome."

"He would have, but I know how to deal with him, now do what I told you" She said looking around. She petted the obedient Kirara and then sighed. "No, go and get me some hot water and some bandages and peroxide and then bring it into the barn."

"But."

"No buts! Just do it!" She growled at him and he ran off to get what she had asked for as Kagome lead Kirara and Sesshomaru to the barn.

Over the next three hours Sesshomaru was restless, every time he managed to pull his eyes open she was there. This slender woman, with long dark hair and gentle hands. Hands so like his mothers, so like his Rin's hands. Tending to him like the child used to do, in his haze of confusion he found hope that when he could finally keep his eyes open it would be her, and that she would be alive and well.

"_Sesshomaru my son." The woman said. He had fallen from his horse, tears spilling down his face, but he refused to sob at the pain, not him, not the heir to the Western Lands! He would be strong, and he growled at his own tears._

"_Momma." He answered as stoically as the boy of only eight could muster._

"_Is it broken?" Her long caring fingers touched over the wounds on his arm, where the bone had come through the delicate pale skin._

"_No." He lied. She simply lifted a brow at him. "No!" He said again but she then smiled, finally the sobs took him and he fell down holding his arm. It hurt so badly, but he had felt so foolish crying in front of her! She was a strong woman, and he had never seen her cry before, why couldn't he be so strong like she was. "Yes Momma! And hurts!" He cried._

"Yes Momma! It hurts…" Sesshomaru stammered in his feverish state. Kagome bit her lip, not to keep from laughing, but to keep from crying. She didn't have any love for Sesshomaru, that was no secret but he was all that had ever come through that well. She moved over to him, with Sota watching on from a safe distance and knelt next to him, again she ran her hand over his head. Her lip was drawn between her own teeth, he was burning up, his hair slicked back from the sweat that he was poring from his body, he was even panting like an overheated dog. She had only now just mustered the courage that it took to approach him and dress his wounds, sure he wouldn't wake and kill her.

She wondered if he would have ever admitted to anyone that he was in pain, as he told his mother so readily in his coma induced dreams that it hurt… she wondered if he knew he talked in his sleep. Her hands slipped down from his forehead over his cheeks, tracing those red lines for a moment, she had often wondered if they were raised like scars, but no, they were smooth, like the lines on a tiger's skin under its pelt was smooth.

"Whatchya doin'?" Sota asked, she jumped, not realizing he had even came all the way in, she knew he had been standing there after going into the house and talking to their mother, but she missed him walking into the barn. "Momma said to come in for dinner." He reported dutifully, but she didn't move, and neither did he, he knelt next to her. "He is really hurt bad?" Sota asked.

"Yeah." Kagome said softly. Her breath drawn in she pulled her hand off of his face, recoiling as if she had been touching a viper. His eyes were open again.

"_He is really hurt bad!" Rin said as she knelt next to someone else looking at him. That person she was with had been touching his face, but he didn't have the energy to push their hand away. Hmm, they stopped touching him, good._

"_Rin." He said, his throat dry, she smiled at him, and he slowly reached for her, she stepped back from him, hiding behind the woman's shoulder and suddenly he felt enraged at himself for frightening her. "I am… so sorry…" He said gently, weakly. Was he dying? No, he couldn't be killed by poison… but it seemed so real. "I couldn't save you… now… you don't trust me…"_

Sesshomaru's hand fell as he again blinked out of consciousness.

"Who is Rin?" Sota asked as he looked out from behind Kagome. Some boy he was, hiding behind his big sister! Nope, never gonna tell anyone that.

Kagome didn't answer him at first. Her hands were fast at work, untying his haori. She peeled it slowly back off of the wounds that it had sealed itself to with the puss and other secretions that had come from the wounds. Panting for breath, Sesshomaru made no outward sign that he was feeling any additional pain.

"It was his ward." She said thoughtfully. "Well she was his servant, but he learned to care for her. She must have been killed before he came here…"

The thought was sad; she should be only a mere child. That her life would be so tragically torn from her at such a young age was inconceivable to Kagome, she looked at Sota, trying to think of how she would have felt if she couldn't save him from Sesshomaru. Had Sesshomaru seen her die? Did he have to watch on helplessly as her life was drained away? Why hadn't he brought her back to life with Tenseiga? None of the questions would have an answer until he was well enough to tell her. Then she would get what she needed to know from him and send his ass right back through the well.

"KAGOME! SOTA!" She heard her mother yelling. She pulled herself to her feet and nodded, she would finish the wrappings after dinner or she would get no peace at all.

"What are you doing out there?" Her mother asked. She smiled at her and sighed.

"Um, I found an… injured dog…" She said, well technically it wasn't a lie!

"Oh? Well bring it into the house." She said smiling at her.

"No!" She said sharply, her mother looked at her oddly, lifting a slender brow. "I mean… it might… bite someone… it's hurt after all."

"I suppose you're right." Her mother said. "But when it's better bring it in out of the barn, and here, give it some food." She would scoop some food into a bowl for the 'poor animal' in the barn, Kagome didn't argue she just smiled, bowed to her mother and then turned and ran back out to the barn where she had left Kirara guarding Sesshomaru.

"_Mother!" He was older now, that wound had healed without so much as a scar thanks to her tender caring hands. "Mother where are you!" He was running through the palace. His father had just told him that his mother had passed away in her sleep, and he refused to believe him, going as far as calling him a liar._

"_Mother!" He screamed out as he pushed his way past Kyo, the eagle demon that raised him, who had been posted outside of her bedroom door._

"_Let him see her." The deep voice of his father cut the air, hanging deep with sorrow and loss. Kyo obediently moved from before the door, watching Sesshomaru with sad eyes and Sesshomaru ran into the room. It was just as he always knew it, large and very lavish. His father spared no expenses when it came to his mother's wishes. This was her room, because even when mated, a proper woman should always have a room of her own. "Maybe it will help him come to terms."_

_There were no terms to come to, she was sleeping, he could see her from there. He didn't understand why they had hung the white death shroud around her. Maybe, just maybe it was a joke. Inu were somewhat playful creatures at times, so maybe she was joking. Well it wasn't funny and he was going to tell her so! He stormed over, his clawed hands grabbing the death shroud and tearing it down. He could hear the men gasp, but no one stopped him as he climbed up into the bed._

"_This isn't funny mother!" He growled in a tone he had NEVER used on his mother before. "Making me think that you are dead! It isn't funny!"_

_But she didn't move. Sesshomaru growled deeply at her._

"_Get up Mother! This isn't funny! Stop it right now!" He said shaking her, but her skin was cold. He gasped, maybe she was really… no, inconceivable, she couldn't be! She was sick! That was it. "Mother? You are cold, you are ill, now stop playing and get up!" He grabbed her shoulders shaking her, but she wouldn't wake, she barely moved, her body was rigid and hard._

"_Mother?" He said softly, his eyes would flare red and his face elongate, his mouth a maw of sharp teeth. "MOTHER!"_

_He stared at her coldly. He could sence his father in the room with him and turned, he leapt at his father, beating against the armor plates on his chest._

"_Damn you!" He yelled! "You call yourself a mate! How could you let her get this ill?"_

_He was rewarded for his love of his mother with a quick back hand that sent him sprawling back onto the bed, his father understood that he was mourning, but he had no right to attack him like that, and it would not be tolerated, no one manhandle InuTaisho and got away with it. No one even his own son. "Sesshomaru, she is dead."_

"_I hate you!" Sesshomaru had yelled, the yell turning into a bark as the boy slowly transformed into the large horse sized dog he had been at that tender age. He would turn away and curl up on his mother, trying to keep her warm, if she didn't warm up she would die._

"_No mother… don't leave me… I will keep you warm… just please… stay…"_

Kagome gasped when she found herself gripped by him.

"No mother… don't leave me… I will keep you warm… just please… stay…" He was completely delirious now, he thought she was his mother. Again her lip was bit and she would sigh, resigning to leaning against the wall until he calmed down and released her, when that happened she could tend to his wounds, until then she settled his head into her lap, as she had for InuYasha so many times and sat back against the wall, running her fingers through his hair.

Her eyes cut to Sota and she placed her fingers to her lips. He nodded and padded over silently coming to sit next to them both. All they could really do now… was wait.

"Sota come here." Kagome said the next morning before school. "We have to drain this wound before school; I don't think that he'll start to get better so long as there is still poison in his body."

"What do you want me to do?" Sota asked softly, staring up at her wide eyed. She stood up and walked over to him, handing him a trash barrel.

"Well, hold this under his face, this crud smells so bad, that he is going to throw up." She said.

"Gross!" Sota said turning his nose up.

"Sota, if you're not going to help than leave, you are just in the way." She said shoving her fists onto her hips and staring at him. "I am the one that told you to leave well enough alone, but you just can't. You keep coming back even though I told you that he is dangerous! If you are going to keep coming back, the least you can goddamned do is help me!"

"Fine." He said softly picking up the bucket and walking over to where Kirara was large and laying down. First Kagome laid a tarp over Kirara and then reached over her, grabbing Sesshomaru under the arms and pulling him over the feline's back. She took his long white hair and bound it back and up so that it didn't get messed any more than it was.

"Ready?" She asked. Sota shook his head no… looked at Sesshomaru, and then frowned and nodded yes. She pushed on the wound, the puss and other poisons under the skin simply bubbled. She bit her lip and pulled out the knife that she had taken out of the kitchen and sterilized in some peroxide. She gently cut the wounds open along the mark that was already there. No sooner had she made the first incision than did the vile smelling fluid start to poor from the wounds. She covered her mouth and stepped back away from it, dry gagging. It only took a moment before she heard Sesshomaru wretch and finally manage to pull some form of nasty fluid from his stomach. Sota took it better than she did, but he was a boy, he was used to gross things! He ate bugs for god's sake!

She went through and cut another wound, again it poured out, and again Sesshomaru wretched from the smell, even Kirara had brought her large nose under a massive paw.

She cut it again.

And again.

And again.

Pushing on each wound until it bled the blackish blood of the youkai. Finally she sat back and sighed before pulling Sesshomaru off of Kirara's back and laying him down again, then taking the tarp and throwing it into the leaf fire outside, is stank something fierce, but had no ability to infect anyone else.

"SOTA! KAGOME!" Her mother called. "You're late!"

"Shoot!" She cried out running from the barn.

Kagome came home from school, tired and with a ton of homework to do, she didn't like having left Sesshomaru alone all day, but her mother refused to let her stay home. She ran into the house and threw her backpack down on the table.

"Mom! I'm home! I'm going out to check on the dog!" She cried out. But no one answered. She walked into the kitchen and noticed that there was a kettle on the stove, it smelled like one of her mom's gross concoctions. "MOM!"

She ran out into the yard where Sota was standing at the barn doors. She ran over, but from the look in his eyes alone she knew what happened. Her mother was in there, alone, with Sesshomaru! She gasped and ran into the barn and over to the loft latter where she saw the two tails of the cute kitten form Kirara waving over the edge.

"That's right, drink this…" She heard her mother say. "Slowly… slowly…"

"What is it that This Human is feeding This Sesshomaru?" She heard. Oh gods! He was awake! She ran up the latter as fast as she could, Kirara hissing and jumping out from under her feet, and there she was, her mother was sitting on her knees with Sesshomaru propped up on a couple of pillows, all of the bandages that she had put on him were starting to yellow and she knew they had to be changed.

"It will kill the poisons in you." She said smiling at him kindly.

"Mom!" She gasped, Sesshomaru didn't even turn to look at her, his cold eyes on the cup of vile tasting tea before him as if he were debating weather or not to kill her, or drink it. He made a decision and tossed the cup back, drinking it all in one foul swoop.

"Why does this Miko worry for This Woman?" Sesshomaru growled now looking at Kagome, for the first time it seemed as if he recognized her. "No, This Miko is InuYasha's wench."

"Watch it buster." Her mother said.

"No mom!" Kagome interrupted as Sesshomaru glared to her mother. "It's alright; yes I was the Miko that traveled with your brother."

"Brother?" Her mother gasped. "_You_ are InuYasha's brother?"

"Unfortunately." Sesshomaru replied.

"But you look nothing like him."

"Thank you." He answered stoically. She seemed confused, as if that comment had not really been meant as a compliment, for one, she thought InuYasha was infinitely cuter with those adorable ears on his head! But so be it, it seemed that the brothers didn't like each other.

"Kagome, I need to talk to you." She said slipping to her feet and bowing lightly to Sesshomaru before retreating from the loft. "Why did you…"

She started but Kagome shushed her and brought her all the way back to the house where she was sure that Sesshomaru couldn't eavesdrop on them.

"I'm sorry I lied to you momma, but he dangerous. He doesn't care about anyone other than himself." She said staring at the floor. "I knew that if I told you that I found a demon and was nursing it back to health you would want to help, but I was afraid that he would hurt you."

"Honey." She said softly hugging her daughter. "He seemed quite grateful when I brought him the tea."

"He is acting strangely, but _please_ mom, trust me and stay away from him!"

"Honey…"

"He is a killer, he doesn't care who he maims or slaughters if it gets him what he wants…"

"Honey…"

"… and I am afraid because I don't know what he wants or why the well let him come through…"

"_Honey!_"

"so please Momma, stay away from him, he is a pompous overstuffed Chihuahua sometimes, but he is an American Pit Bull when he is angered."

"Define angered honey…"

"Well he gets really stoic, and then his eyes turn red, and his teeth get sharp and his…"

"… hair starts to blow, and his mouth elongates?"

"How did you know?" She asked…

"Because he is standing right behind you." Kagome gasped and spun around.

He had felt something nearby when he was fading in and out of consciousness in the barn, pulling himself to sitting, the pain tearing through his abdomen Sesshomaru pulled himself then to his feet. Stumbling over to the ladder and catching himself on the railing before he went headfirst down it. His golden eyes would attempt to focus on what was below him. The feeling was moving away from him now, but what was not was the horrified little boy that was standing there staring up at him.

"Boy." His voice cut the air; he didn't like the slight tang of pain that he heard. "Help this Sesshomaru Whelp."

"I am not a whelp!" The boy said stomping his foot, glaring up at him.

"This Sesshomaru can't make it down the ladder. Now aid him!" He growled, he felt his own pulse raising as he glared at the child, he turned his head and stumbled away from the ladder, pushing open the loft door, the feeling was coming from the house, he sniffed the breeze. The wench and her mother were there, and so was the other one. "Whelp! There is another youkai here. It is in that homestead. This Sesshomaru needs to destroy it."

"Why…" The boy asked, Sesshomaru spun around and he was standing at the top of the ladder looking at him. "Stay here where you are safe."

"This Sesshomaru does not hide." He said clearly, a slight growl in his voice. The boy stepped back and then looked at the house.

"Will it kill them?" He asked.

"This Sesshomaru can't answer that whelp. That is why This Sesshomaru needs to get to that homestead." He said pointing a shaking clawed hand at their house.

"My name is Sota." The boy said.

"You're name is irrelevant." He said starting again to the ladder.

"You don't make any sense… you are being a baka!" The boy hollered at him. Suddenly Sesshomaru had heard enough from the insolent child. He lurched his whole body forward, grabbing him by the throat and picking him up off of the ground.

"This Sesshomaru is growing agitated listening to This Human Whelp's words. Will This Whelp aid This Sesshomaru or nea?" He asked. Surely the wench wouldn't like it, but he didn't care, he had tried being polite, or as polite as a Youkai Lord needed to be to a human, but this human just kept talking, and didn't shut up! He was like a yipping puppy! How, even in his haze, had he mistaken this whimpering whelp as Rin.

A smell accosted his nose, the sharp sting of urine. He made a disgusted noise and dropped the child to the floor, turning and leaving him in the puddle of his own waste. The child was only a young one, but Sesshomaru could care less. He had seen others lose control of themselves and urinate on themselves in his presence before, it brought a feeling of accomplishment when it happened. He finally turned to Kirara.

"You." He said pointing to the little kitten. Surely this was not the same massive cat that InuYasha used to ride… but it was. Sesshomaru sighed again, no help there; he only hoped that he was strong enough. He turned then from the cat, the human boy that called himself Sota was whimpering and sniveling again as the demon lord turned to move back toward the loft window, the boy was sitting in front of it.

"What are you doing!" Sota yelled as Sesshomaru pulled himself up into the window, the demon lords silver hair simply flowed like moonlight in the night air and he looked back at the boy, who was standing, looking scared that he would hurt him, but also afraid that he would jump.

"Such concern for This Sesshomaru is unnecessary." He said clearly. The boy jumped forward, his fingers slipping off the fabric of his pants as Sesshomaru stepped off the edge, he felt himself falling, and it took every ounce of energy that he had to form the demon cloud to bring him softly to the earth. He looked back up at the child staring at him from the window and thought of Rin. He remembered all the times she had stared at him like that, like he was just the best thing ever. Inside he smiled, almost laughing, at how much this child was like Rin after all, even though he was scared, he still was in awe with him. Outside no such thing, stoic as ever he turned away and started to walk towards the house.

He wasn't listening to the Miko and her mother as he walked into the house, the other Youkai was close, his hand slipped down his bare chest, covered only with the stiffening wrappings and to his obi, his eyes red, he felt himself wanting to shift, in the fear of being attacked wounded. His eyes pulsed, and he could feel the energy building behind his eyes and he knew they had turned red, his hand came in contact with Tokijin and he could feel his face start to elongate, the wind like tendrils of energy slashing through the air. The Miko jumped in front of her mother and was staring at him, saying something, but he couldn't hear her over the blood rushing in his own ears. His fingers closed on Tokijin and it was pulled before the sudden pulse from Tenseiga touched him and suddenly the world got thrown back into the calm like a weight hitting him.

"Sesshomaru! I didn't… I mean…" the wench was saying.

"Silence." He growled a pulse from him, followed by a pulse from Tenseiga. That was when he saw it, the small feline was sitting on the counter and the feeling was coming from it. He lifted his nose to the air… yes… it was the cat. He lurched forward past the woman and the Miko, pushing the Miko aside roughly.

The cat hissed and spat as the clawed hand, too fast for it to react to, closed around the back of its neck, his thumb pushing up under the feline's chin, ready to break its neck. But no, this was wrong, it wasn't the feeling of a neko; this cat surely would have turned back to its demon form if it were a neko?

"You!" Sesshomaru growled his nails running up the cat's side the wrong way, roughing up its fur; he felt his claw click over something and knew he was right. Between his clawed thumb and forefinger he would pluck the flea from the cat's coat and drop the feline that, like a smart neko, fled for its hide. "Myouga. What do you want you cowardly excuse for a Youkai."

"L…Lord Sesshomaru…" The flea stammered, not impressing Sesshomaru. "I felt you I did! And I came because you were injured! You vanished so long ago… so much is happening Sesshomaru-sama!"

"If you came to find This Sesshomaru, than why are you in this homestead and not in the barn." He growled at the bug as he released it and dropped it onto the counter. He felt the two humans come behind him, they were looking around him to see what was on the table.

"Well, I was… thinking that maybe… um… maybe the great Se…Sesshomaru-sama wouldn't want a lowly servant like This Myouga to see him in such a state of dismay." The flea said humbly bowing to the Sesshomaru. It invoked no feelings of sympathy, or even belief, the flea was a useless coward.

"Or mayhap, you feared that This Sesshomaru might react accordingly and kill you before he knew who had come. You would rather hide than make sure that your master's only remaining son is well!" Sesshomaru growled.

"Only…" The wench said, she was staring at him wide eyed.

"Yes, this Sesshomaru is the only remaining child of Inu Taisho." Sesshomaru said softly, he didn't turn to look at them, he didn't care for his brother as a creature, but they had come to understand each other as brothers some. "That InuYasha no longer draws breath."

"That InuYasha?" She pondered; surely she had not noticed that he referred to him with the same right he gave the nobility. _That InuYasha_ not _the hanyou_, or_ the mutt_. He said nothing to her, she would not understand, and was sure he couldn't stand much longer in order to tell her, so he didn't say a word. His body language, his scent spoke volumes of loss and pain. His mother, his father, his Rin, his brother… he had nothing left, but nothing showed his loss, nothing from his stance to his amber eyes. Unless you could read an animal's body, and he knew these humans could not, than they would think nothing wrong. "How?"

"F… fighting." Sesshomaru suddenly found speaking very hard. His eyes widened for a moment at the counter as it was rushing up at his head, the flea called out to him before jumping aside and the blinding pain flashed through his head as his vision went red, it cleared moment's later just before he met with the floor… it felt for a moment as if he had gone through the floor and was floating in blackness… a welcomed blackness, numbness, the pain of his wounds gone. But as his body made contact with the floor the pain in his back and ribs ripped through his body and he was back again. In pain. But alive.

_Damnit_ he thought passively. _I couldn't be so lucky._ Yes, as he had thought, before it was over, he more than wished, it would just… kill him.

Kagome flew forward in an attempt to catch Sesshomaru, but the odd angle and dead weight was too much for her and he struck the floor anyway. Kagome fell on her butt next to him, her knees drawing up, and her arms wrapped around them and she cried. Too hell with her mother, school, her brother… to hell with Myouga, and to hell with Sesshomaru… her InuYasha was dead!

There was a time when she wouldn't have believed the words that Sesshomaru had spoken, but now she had no reason, honestly not to. She knew that Sesshomaru had no reason to lie to her, and from what InuYasha had always told her, Sesshomaru didn't lie. Ever. Her mother came over and knelt next to her wrapping her arms around her, holding her while she cried. She had hoped, that maybe, just maybe she would get to see him, one last time. That she would get her time to say good-bye, that she could tell him, honestly, and with no battles to stand between them, that she loved him more than anything else in this world.

"Kagome." Sota said, came down from upstairs where he had climbed in the window so that no one would see that he had wet himself when Sesshomaru attacked him. "What is wrong?"

"Inu…InuYasha… is…" She couldn't finish the words that she was trying to formulate in her mind.

"Dead." A voice said from the door. Kagome jumped and looked up at the figure standing in it. The figure there was of a man, a well built one, with large baggy pants on, and a half shirt, his strong stomach muscles showing. He was wearing an unzipped hoodie over that, and the hood was up so she couldn't see his face.

"Who are you?" Sota growled at him. "We got enough people here! What do you…"

"Shh." Kagome said coming to her feet, something seemed familiar about that voice, she sniffled some and pulled the hood back off of the man's head, gasping and covering her mouth. The man that stood there had long black hair, held back in a high held ponytail, and a set of beautiful crystal eyes that she recognized immediately. "Kouga!"

"Kagome!" He said and pulled her in against his strong chest. She broke down crying once more, and he simply held her until she could pull herself together.

"What are you doing here Kouga?" She asked him softly, she would glance over at Sesshomaru. "Forget that for a moment, could you help me bring him upstairs to my room?"

"You're room?" Kouga asked, a little spark of the old jealousy in his voice.

"No baka! He is sick, now please!" She said a little crossly at him, but he just smiled, showing off one tooth as if to say it was all a little joke.

"Don't worry Kagome, all lot of time has past since you left, I have done my time, had a mate, she died though, don't be sorry it's OK, she was older than I was anyway, and had kids, seventeen actually of which four are still wandering, pretty good turn out, so I am really not looking for another mate right now. Just kinda likin' the lone wolf life.." He said shaking his head and smiling. He would walk over and grab Sesshomaru by the shoulder and roll him onto his back. Kagome bit her lip, he was manhandling Sesshomaru some, but then again, Kouga never did have any tact.

"Don't forget me!" Myouga cried out as he jumped up onto Kouga's head.

It was a shame to see Sesshomaru like that. She hated it; he was supposed to be the strong, stoic creature that could survive anything. He was the pillar of strength and now he had crumbled. She might not have liked him, but if he was standing up and tall, whatever it was that was happening, that Myouga had started to tell Sesshomaru about… she would know that she could handle it, because he was after all… Sesshomaru… but with him down like this, it just felt… so… wrong.

"So this is it hmm?" Kouga said as he started to gather Sesshomaru's limbs so he could pick him up.

"This is what?" Kagome asked.

"This is the great Sesshomaru. Supposedly he was destroyed so many years back in the same attack that killed his brother… well…" Kouga looked up at her for a moment from his squatted position. "At least that is what part of my mind is telling me… but I remember, that he ruled. Cold, but a decent leader up until his death fighting off a monster that threatened his lands only about two hundred years ago. And InuYasha, InuYasha lived in his brother's kingdom, never given the rights of nobility, but kept well. I don't understand why it is that my memories are changing."

"Kouga, do you mean?" She asked. "Do you mean you remember both things?"

"As clearly as if they both happened. But how I don't know. Something is changing Kagome. Something is happening." He said. He would finally turn those wolf-like blue eyes off of her and scoop one arm under Sesshomaru's knees, and the other, around his shoulders. The demon king growled as he was lifted but Kouga didn't flinch. "Damned Inu, always growlin' at us… whatever."

Kouga carried Sesshomaru upstairs, following Kagome to her room. He laid him down on the bed and then sat in the chair nearby as Kagome cleaned his wounds and re-bandaged them, with some of her mother's herbal medicine to put on them, that she assured her daughter would word ten times better than any peroxide would.

With the soft sound of the English speaking band Clannad playing on repeat in her CD player, other than the one time, that while she was taking a shower Kouga changed the music to something called Marilyn Manson that she had never heard of, apparently it was American music, and she had changed it quickly, she sat with Sesshomaru and waited.

It amazed her that she had come to not like, but respect Sesshomaru in his first stint of unconsciousness that had been in the barn when she sat, just the two of them, for hours. What did not amaze her was that in a matter of the fifteen minutes that he had been up and functioning and speaking, all of that respect lost most of its meaning.

Kouga had gone downstairs to eat with her mother and her brother. She had asked him to, being under his ever-constant eye, while it made her feel safer than being alone with Sesshomaru did, it was annoying sometimes. She took the time while he was downstairs to get changed out of the clothes that she had been wearing for two days. Her mother decided, now that she knew it was not just a mere dog, to allow Kagome a bit of time off of school. Kagome didn't fight it, she was happy to be home. Sota however was not allowed to stay home, her mother was worried with how much Sota wanted to stay around Sesshomaru, something about his attitude toward the demon lord had changed and he wasn't telling anyone what happened.

As she slipped the shirt off over her head she felt something, like pokers in the back, pulling her shirt up over her chest she would spin around to find Sesshomaru awake and looking at her, her whole body shook in rage and her face blazed bright red. He was not even making an attempt to look away from her, just staring at her with that same mute, apathetic gaze.

"You don't have to stare." She said, a little sharper than she had meant to.

"This Sesshomaru cannot stare at anything." He answered. Slowly the lids closed over the golden pools and then slipped open again, eyes never wavering.

"You seem to be doing a good job." She said softly, her brows knit together, humph! InuYasha said he couldn't lie!

"This Sesshomaru cannot stare wench," He growled. "Because this Sesshomaru cannot see."

"What!" Without thinking she dropped her shirt and fell down at his side, her cool hands running over his head, he was burning up, a blinding fever for sure. They say, and she didn't know that it was true or not, that such a fever could cook the eyes, and you would be blind forever. Like a dog anticipating being hit, then finding himself pet, Sesshomaru pushed his head against her cool hands as they ran over his face, she was sure it was not out of affection like a dog would, more because her hands must feel like ice against his hot skin. "Gods this isn't good…"

"Isn't it?" He asked softly. "One of the final stages of a death fever is blindness… that means… that This Sesshomaru is almost well again."

"Huh?" She said canting her head. His clawed hand, shaking and on fire from the fever would grasp her arm, the one that was touching him.

"This Sesshomaru cannot die from this fever." Sesshomaru answered passively. "It must work its course, but This Sesshomaru can survive it."

Her body shivered against her will as his hand traveled up her arm to her shoulder.

"Sesshomaru?" She said glancing at that hand. She thought about his actions for a moment, and then thought better, certainly he wasn't feeling her up, no, rather, she assumed that he was trying to get his bearings where he could not see.

"Miko." He said softly.

"Sesshomaru." She answered.

"Would you do this Sesshomaru two favors?" He asked as his hand trailed off her shoulder and down her side, she wanted to withdraw from his exploring fingers, but dared not pull away from those deadly claws, least one should… not so accidentally… slip.

"I…if I can." She answered.

"One." His hand stopped at the waist band of her pants, her own eyes no longer on his eyes, but watching his hand with horror. "Do not tell any others that This Sesshomaru cannot see."

"O…okay." She said swallowing hard as his hand now traveled over her belly, fingers splaying, palm laying flat against her stomach and then trailing up to lay open against her lower chest, if she even flinched he would be touching… something she didn't want him to! "A…and t…two?"

"_Get dressed!_" He growled shoving her hard away from him. "You are indecent."

She stumbled back and landed, with no grace, dignity or poise on the floor a few feet away and Sesshomaru took the blankets and pulled them up over his head, rolling to face away from her.

"_Oh! You insufferable bastard!_" She yelled at him. If he was awake still he made no motion to show it, she grabbed a shirt out of her dresser and threw it over her head, roughly shoving her arms through the holes and storming out of the room.

"He is so impossible!" She said as she sat in the barn loft, the tears pouring down her face again. She wasn't sure what she had exactly expected from Sesshomaru, certainly him pushing her away was better than where she thought it was going for a moment there, since his probing touch had made her skin crawl anyway. She was talking to Kirara, told her everything because, hell who was she going to tell.

"No." The voice came from Kirara's little body, but it couldn't be her, Kirara couldn't talk and that voice was not female anyway. Just the Myouga leapt from the cat's back onto her head and looked up at her. "He is scared."

"Scared?" She said softly. "Oh! No! I promised him I wouldn't tell anyone!"

"Don't worry, I won't tell him anything." The old flea said sitting on the cat's head. She looked at Myouga now, taking him in her hand and off of the cat looking at him. He looked like what someone might describe an old Japanese sensei to look. His short white mustache was now long, it came all the way down, and he had a white beard to match it. He actually used his staff to walk now. He was an old flea, old and very wise, but a coward. "And yes, scared. Everything he had is gone. And nothing is making any sense. He is a stranger in a strange land, with strange people and nothing that makes him feel comfortable. But you…"

"Me?" She gasped shaking her head. "No, I make him feel uncomfortable; otherwise he wouldn't be so cruel to me!"

"Wrong again Kagome." The flea said softly shaking his head, something in his aged voice sounded disappointed.

"What do you mean Myouga?" She asked, she rolled so that she was laying on her belly, her hand rising to level the flea out with her face. She had talked to Myouga before, but he seemed different now, older, wiser, not so… snively.

"You are a Miko Kagome. The Miko that traveled with InuYasha. You are familiar. But you are human, and he has already lost one human." Myouga said softly sitting there, running one of his four hands over his beard and mustache as if thinking. "Rin taught him about humans, and how to care for one. Not all, only one. Her. He was hurt beyond words when she died, and now he does not want another human to get close. Rin nursed him back to health, and as payment for that she was allowed to stay at his side. Now he has another human that is nursing him back to health, and he doesn't want to owe you anything. He doesn't want to get attached. So he pushes you away. He is cruel. It is the way he is."

Kagome nodded solemnly.

"To you, InuYasha died four hundred years ago. The wound is new, because you only just heard of it, but you can justify moving on because it was four hundred years ago. He is still hurt and angry, because he watched it happen, what seems to him, only days ago. And only days before that Rimiku killed Rin and Jakken as well."

"Rimiku?" She asked.

"I am unsure. My memories are like Kouga's. They are changing slowly with the time and I don't know what to do, or what is happening. Rimiku killed InuYasha that I know from talking to Kirara, she was there when it happened." He answered her.

She nodded slowly.

"I need to check on his majesty." She said looking toward the house.

"Be forgiving with him, and don't give up on him." Myouga said gently.

"Well Myouga, apparently you forgot me too." She said smiling.

"Hmm?"

"I am Kagome Higurashi; I don't give up on anything!"

When Kagome returned to the room her mother was in there. She had gone up to see what Sesshomaru had said to make her daughter so angry that she had stormed out of the house and he had admitted to her what had happened and why. She hadn't even yelled at him for being rude, there was no time, if he was already without sight than he was in danger of never seeing again.

"This… S…Sesshomaru will survive." He panted, the icy rag placed over his eyes again. He felt like he was on fire. Her mother was wearing a very worried expression.

"He is right momma." Kagome said from the door.

"He might live through it, he is youkai after all…" Her mother said, and then ran a hand through his silvery main. "But even if he does… he might not be able to see if we don't draw the fever away from his eyes."

Kagome gasped! She hadn't even thought of that when she stormed out, he had been so infuriating that he had gotten exactly what he wanted from her, he had gotten her to react and leave him. She mentally slapped herself, she couldn't even picture Sesshomaru permanently blind for a minute, the great and proud king of pompous poise reduced to a sightless mass.

Her mother sat there with Sesshomaru all night. She was glad that she had, Kagome wouldn't have known what to do. Kagome didn't know when she had fallen asleep in the chair but when she awoke she was not alone in it. She was curled up against a warm body with a heavy musky scent and a blanket over them. She opened her eyes to see the serine sleeping face of Kouga and smiled. He was sweet, or, he tried to be, and sometimes his actions were rewarded with success.

"Alright Sesshomaru-sama." She heard her little brother say. "Momma says you gotta drink this."

His attempt to give Sesshomaru the tea was met with resistance by the currently blinded, dirty and smelly Sesshomaru. He pouted some. She could tell he wanted Sesshomaru to like him, like InuYasha had liked him. But that wasn't going to happen, Sesshomaru was nothing like InuYasha.

"I know this is hard." She heard Sota say, he was chewing on his lip, she didn't have to look over to know what had happened. "But you have…"

"This Sesshomaru doesn't _have_ to do anything…" Sesshomaru answered, his hand would rise up and slap the cup out of Sota's hand, sending in smashing to the floor, she felt Kouga's body jerk under her as his eyes flew open. "This Sesshomaru can't drink any more of that…"

She heard the struggled whimpers of Sota trying not to cry in front of Sesshomaru. He was so gentle with their mother, why was he so hard on Sota, she didn't understand it. He had never treated Rin with such hate… had he? Sesshomaru had kicked his feet off of the bed and was sitting now on the edge of it, as if debating attempting to stand.

"This Sesshomaru is a big bully." She heard Kouga growl from under her, causing his whole chest to vibrate like a growling wolf. She felt his body tense under her hand and looked up, he was angry, his whole physique taking a darker look to it. "Pickin' on a harmless kid that can't even defend himself!"

"Leave Sota alone Sesshomaru." Kagome said softly. "He just wants to help you."

"This Sesshomaru doesn't need his help."

"_This Sesshomaru needs a swift kick in the ass!_" Kagome yelled coming to her feet in time with Kouga, a hand placed against his chest, as if that could really hold him back, but it worked for now and the wolf demon didn't move. "_You do nothing but preach to us, yell at us, hurt my brother, insult me and I don't want to know what you have done to my mother! How dare you! You over stuffed foo dog! You don't have any place to be making demands when it is us that have been taking care of you! You pride yourself of being better than InuYasha! Well you aren't! You are just like him! Too good to get help from a human, too much pride to admit that you need it! You… you…" _Sesshomaru had managed to come, shakely to his feet during this rant. "_You piss me off! I can't believe your audacity, here, in my home! I owe you nothing Sesshomaru! I don't owe you the right to be treated! I should have just left you for dead… that is what you deserve…_" She couldn't think of anything to say, so finally she said the one thing that came to mind after fighting with someone. "_SIT!_"

Nothing happened and Sesshomaru just stared at her as if transfixed on her with his sightless eyes. His head would cant slightly, he did not sit, why should he do that? Why would he sit just because she had told him too. Damned wench…

"OHHH!" She growled annoyed, that was right, this was Sesshomaru, and Sesshomaru didn't have his brother's rosary beads, but she wanted to see him face plant like InuYasha had, Sota was just staring at her, he had seen her do that to InuYasha before, and apparently he was standing in silent understanding of her mistake. "I said…" She growled, she came forward, grabbing the blinded and weakened Sesshomaru by the front of the robe that her mother had given him to cover himself with, which was worn open, she would jump up and place all her weight on his shoulders, forcing him face first into the ground. "SIT!"


	3. Chapter Two (Old Dog, New Tricks)

**Chapter Two****(Old Dog, New Tricks)**

_I should have been dead_

_On a Sunday Morning_

_Banging my Head_

_No time for mourning_

_I ain't got no time_

_**-Creed**__My Own Prison_

He had killed people for less. It was a line that ran through her head several times as she stood huffing staring at the figure of Sesshomaru upon the floor. He didn't stay down long, a low growl coming from deep inside of his chest and he was on his feet again and coming for her at full speed, she stumbled back against the wall, her eyes wide as she watched those claws turn green and knew that she was all done. As soon as her back hit the wall she clenched her eyes closed and covered her head with her arms, waiting for the blow that didn't come.

When she looked up Sesshomaru was locked in a stare down with Kouga, who had him by his wrist holding him back. Sesshomaru didn't have the strength to fight Kouga, and she was sure that he knew it too. Those golden eyes went from enraged to the stoic look they held most often and he seemed almost resigned to the fact that this wolf had stopped him, but the hair was starting to rise on Kouga's hackles when Sesshomaru refused to turn away from his gaze.

"Sesshomaru, Kouga, please stop." Kagome said, she sounded exhausted, and honestly she was, she was completely exhausted from taking care of Sesshomaru. She came and stood between the two, her fingers taking Kouga's hand and peeling it off of Sesshomaru's wrist and then she took his hand. He wasn't completely with it, seeming more like the walking dead than anything alive or intelligent. His expression showed no reaction when she twined her fingers in his long slender ones and started to walk with him toward the bathroom.

"He can't see you." Sota said softly to Kouga when Kagome and Sesshomaru were gone. "That's why he was staring you down so easily."

"Keh." Kouga growled and walked over, sitting down near the window like InuYasha used to, only he sat on a chair.

Kagome moved into the large bathroom. It was the master bathroom, more or less her mother's bathroom. It had a standing shower and a large freestanding tub that existed from way back when all they had was free standing tubs. The area around the tub was walled in with a sliding door that used to be bamboo and paper, but was now a textured glass. There was a slight arch to the floor that led to a drain, so that one could wash someone's hair without leaving it in the tub. She moved Sesshomaru to the seat near a window and sat him down there.

"What are you doing to this Sesshomaru?" He asked, for the first time his voice seemed slightly unsure and he sniffed the air a few times. Being unable to see must be very hard for this prideful creature.

"Shh, Sesshomaru." She said as she started the bath water running. "Don't move please." She said kindly as she got up and walked out of the bathroom, closing the door behind her. She ran downstairs and to her where her mother was cooking up some more tea for Sesshomaru in the kitchen. "Momma, can I have some ointments and bath oil to treat Sesshomaru?" She asked. "I thought he might relax some after a bath."

"Hmm." She said thoughtfully. "I think you might be right. I think that should help a good deal. Go in my room, and get the bottle marked with the green tag, that is the bath oils that you need, the ointments are where they always are, and I am making him some more tea. Ashara brought me some mint from her garden, so it should taste a bit better for him."

"Thanks momma." She said softly, smiling at her and running off. Once retrieving the bath oils and ointments she would come back into the bathroom, to find him patently waiting for her to return. She opened the bottle of oil, expecting it to smell horrid, but to the contrary it had a slight medicine smell mingled with the smell of roses. "Can you smell this Sesshomaru?" She asked, he answered with a curt nod of his head. "Is it offensive? It is medicine to sooth your wounds and draw out the remaining poisons in the tub." She said softly.

"This Sesshomaru isn't a lover of flowers, but it masks the medicine smell well." He answered, his sightless eyes glancing clearly off in front of him. She nodded, finding that was the most pleasant thing he had said to her since he had arrived. She poured the oil into the filling tub, the smell carrying in the steam to saturate the room. She stood then from the water and walked over to Sesshomaru, as she got closer she noticed the musky smell around him, it mingled well with the smell of the roses. "All right Sesshomaru, if you get undressed than I can…" She stopped dead in her tracks, unable to formulate words as he dropped the robe, then his nimble fingers untied the ties on his pants and he let them fall. No modesty, but then, she supposed in retrospect later, he most likely had people bathing him all the time as royalty right? She blushed and turned away from him.

"Should this Sesshomaru remove the bandages?" He asked. At first she just nodded, forgetting for a moment that he couldn't see her. Then she remembered and cleared her throat.

"Hai." She responded. Soon she heard him moving. "Sesshomaru!" She answered she slipped in front of him and placed her small hands on his chest, her eyes forcefully remaining on his face, his clawed hand would instinctively grab her shoulder, but not hard enough to hurt her. "You are going to fall on these stairs if you are not careful."

There were three stairs that led up to the sliding glass doors from the actual bathroom. It was nice to be sure you still had privacy when someone had to go to the bathroom while you were taking a bath. Sesshomaru growled at her, she almost said something rash to him, but the bit her tongue. No, Sesshomaru must be annoyed with not being able to walk across the room on his own. She stepped back, feeling the stair with her foot before slowly stepping up on it and telling Sesshomaru when to step. When she got to the glass door, she turned to face it, his hand simply slipped with her, now resting on her shoulder with her back to him instead of toward him.

Once she finally got him to the tub, he felt his way around the rim until he could find a way to get into it without her help, settling into the water that was scented in roses he hissed as the water licked at the wounds, cleaning them completely with the salt and other medications that was in the bath oil.

In this sightless world Sesshomaru found himself vulnerable for the first time since he was a child. He had been sitting, doing as he was told, drinking that rancid tea, and listening to the orders of that child for too long. When the wench had sent him face first into the floor he found himself, for the first time in years, completely embarrassed. He could have killed her, and would have too if that wolf had not stepped in. He was actually thankful for the peace when she left in the room. And when she returned her demeanor was much changed from when she left. She was reserved and polite to him.

"What are you doing to this Sesshomaru?" He had asked her before she left, she simply hushed him, something he found, in his tense and anxious state very annoying. He was too angry to say anything productive so he had just left it at that, thankful beyond words when she told him to stay there in the room while she left for a little while.

He had time to think and put a great many things in perspective. Surely he would regain his eyesight? He couldn't honestly be stuck like this forever could he? The idea was frightening, what would he do if he couldn't see. How does one fight to avenge those that he has lost, how does one fight to reclaim the lands that the hands of fate have dragged him away from, when one cannot see? He knew that for much of it his nose and ears could make up the difference. But then he thought of what it would be like to never see the cherry blossoms again, never see the sun rise or set, never see the water rippling around his feet as he waded in it. What would it be to never see a woman again? To never see his reflection? To never see Rin… no… he didn't need to have lost his sight for that. He closed his completely useless eyes and laid his head against the glass of the window seat he sat on. Surely he was in some form of bathing chamber, and it must be a large one because there was a window there, small bathing chambers never had windows, for lack of privacy.

He heard her reenter the bathing chambers. Her foot fall slower as if she were carrying something; he lifted his head some, canting it, trying to locate her with his ears.

"Can you smell this?" She asked, he inhaled deeply and the scent of roses and something stingily unpleasant filled his sensitive nose. He nodded sharply, indeed he could smell it. "Is it offensive? It is medicine to sooth your wounds and draw out the remaining poisons in the tub."

He informed her that he was no lover of flowers, and really he rathered musky scents to flowered ones, but his own body scent would mold it, and he had heard that roses went well with his own musk, so he didn't argue the point, as long as it covered the unpleasant scent of the medicine, along with the unpleasant scent of his own body, he didn't care what it smelled like.

When she told him to undress he did so. Apparently she was playing bath wench this day, which was good because he would not be able to do this, unsighted, on his own. He stood and started to disrobe, he hoped his back was too her because he couldn't see her. His mind kept coming back to what he couldn't do when he couldn't see.

_Stop this!_ He scolded himself. _Stop feeling sorry for yourself! It will prove nothing and it will accomplish nothing. I must find a way to work with this disability as I did the loss of my arm. No way around it._ He stepped out of the pants as the fell to the floor at his feet, stepping forward he felt very cold. The fever had made him sweat and now standing here disrobed he was cold. His hand traveled over the bandages and he inquired as to weather or not he should be able to take them off. She told him too and he did so.

Attempting to work on this issue he would sniff the air, he smelled that she was embarrassed, assuming that it had something to do with his nudity, this woman was odd, how could she pretend to be a Bath Wench if the sight of a naked Inu was too much for her. Certainly he knew that his own beauty was astounding, but still, she should have been prepared for such things. He started forward when she gasped out calling his name. He had not realized she had moved before her hands were on his chest, and he grabbed her arm for stability, finally subsiding and allowing her to lead him to the tub.

The water hurt, though the oils and salts going to work right away. He hissed out through his teeth, trying to get his tight, fever stiffened muscles to work with him and relax in the water, it took him a few minutes to submerge in the deep bathing tub, resting his head against the back of the tub, just feeling the grime lift from his sleek figure.

"Sesshomaru?" He heard her amazingly close to him. He was sure he had started, between the scent of the flowers and the running of the hot water he hadn't heard or smelled her approach. "Do you want me to wash your hair?"

"Miko…" He said softly, his own voice breaking the soft melody of the running water that he loved to use to relax him, he suppressed the urge to tell her to shut the hell up, not a wise thing to do when one is at another's mercy. He sighed gently and thought better of it. "What is your name?"

"You really don't remember do you?" She asked a slight disappointment hung to her lips as she spoke, he could sense that she was disheartened. He had only remembered her on a few occasions, but her name had never been something that he was able to retain. He never paid much attention.

He remembered then standing outside of a shed where he had just killed a little poisonous imp that was trying to kill her and her comrades. He hadn't done it to save them, it was just a side effect of him accomplishing what he wanted to have happen, which was for the man to die. What had InuYasha called her then? He closed his eyes and tried to remember, he had screamed out her name, like a dog barking for its fallen master. What had it been…

"Ka…Kagome?" He asked thoughtfully. He could feel her shock like electricity in the air. "That was the name that InuYasha called out in fear when he thought you were poisoned."

"Hai." She said. "Sesshomaru, could you lean forward some so I can get your hair out?"

He did as he was asked, his one arm reaching up and grabbing the side of the bathing tub and pulling his figure forward, his ribs and back hurt so bad when he did so that he growled, a low and rumbling sound. Once he felt her pull his hair up out of the tub he leaned back again.

"Why does This Kagome aid This Sesshomaru?" He asked. He had been wondering that for some time. He had, several times, attempted to put an end to this woman, only to show his half-brother what a fool he was for loving them. To show him how fragile they were. So why was she trying to help him now? He didn't understand.

"First off, I am not This Kagome, I am just Kagome, and you don't need to remind us of your name every time you speak." She said softly, she was keeping her voice purposely restricted so that she didn't offend his delicate hearing, and he was thankful for that because his hearing was twice as tweaked then when he could see.

"This… or… um… I see." He said, stammering over his words. He would sigh softly.

"Second. I am helping you because you need it." She said. He believed it, there was no reason not to believe her, her tone of voice and her scent both told him that she was being truthful.

"This Sesshomaru doesn't understand you." He said.

"Say it with me." She said, her tone of voice slightly chastising, he canted his head some, not sure what she was talking about. "I do not understand you."

"Ah." He said, he chuckled slightly, something he had not done in what seemed like ages. "Yes, I do not understand you." He replied. This would get some getting used to if he were going to have to start talking like this. She chuckled, she had a melodic voice really, his eyes closed as he felt the sensations course through his body as she started to gather and wet down his hair. He could smell it, and it smelled like wet dog, completely revolting in every way imaginable, not as bad as the secretions from his wounds had smelled, but still, unacceptable for him to smell that way. He heard her chuckle and relaxed back some, her hands working through his hair was relaxing to him, he like it. Slowly he let those useless eyelids close over sightless eyes, resting his head slightly harder against her hands as he bid her to rub harder against his scalp. She complied and he simply tilted his head into her hand.

"Keep your eyes closed, I am going to wash the shampoo out." She said.

"Shampoo?" He repeated.

"Yes it is a soap that is made for your hair." She said softly in his ear, he shook his head slightly at the breath in his ear. "It has elements in it that will make your eyes burn otherwise."

"Understood." He said softly as she leaned his head back out of the tub and started to rinse the soap from his hair. He jumped when the spray first hit his scalp; he had been expecting her to use a pitcher to dump over his head to rinse the soaps away.

"Calm down." She giggled. "It is a water sprayer."

"A what?" He said, oh this unknowingness was annoying at the very least.

"A water sprayer. It pushes water through a tube at a higher speed than it can escape, so that it comes out with pressure and rinses the soap away." She explained, he still didn't understand.

"What kind of sorcery is this?" He asked softly.

"It isn't. It is technology." She explained. "There are a lot of things about my time that you wouldn't understand. I mean heck, InuYasha ate my alarm clock."

Sesshomaru didn't ask what an alarm clock was; instead he sank back into her massaging hands. Leaving his useless eyes closed. Whatever she was using now also bore a faint flowery fragrance, but it was one that matched the roses, and smelled like her mother. She explained to him that this substance made his hair soft, so that it did not tangle so easily. He tried to explain to her that his hair didn't tangle easily anyway, but she just told him to wait and see. He didn't have any option but to agree.

The bath was soothing, and just sitting in it he could feel his mind clearing and the delirium he had been living in and out of for the last few days waned. He felt more like himself, like he could think. He could smell the poisons drawn from his body mingled now with the bath water.

"This Sesshomaru is sitting in poison." He said.

"Hmm?" She asked him, seeming that he caught her paying attention to something else.

"I am sitting in poison." He repeated in the manner of speak that was appropriate in these days and times.

"Oh, let me get a towel!" She said getting up and moving away.

"Alright, stand up." Kagome said, she was holding out a towel in front of her so that she didn't have to subject herself to the naked Sesshomaru again. When he stood up she came to him and wrapped it around him, his single arm would take the corners when they were offered. "Okay, now come with me and I will brush your hair."

"Miko… Kagome." He said correcting himself. She smiled in spite of herself, as she had when he remembered her name at long last. "I have to go back and defeat Rimiku."

"Myouga told me that there was a man named Rimiku that you were fighting." She said.

"Not a man." Sesshomaru answered, even in his blinded state he could still see the insane face of the boy. "A child, no older than Rin."

"What?" She gasped, it hurt him to think of Rin again, it seemed so fresh to him. "A child? But how?"

"This… I don't know." He answered softly. He would let his head fall some in stoic thought. "He says that he is a god, but his scent is that of a human. He can summon the very god that should protect my house to cause me wounds that blind me. He stands against Tokijin like a wall, and he has an ability to vibrate the air and fluid so strong that it managed to kill my brother, not an easy task at all. All of this from a child, that may appear to be, no older than seven years of age."

"There is something going on Sesshomaru, something very wrong." Kagome explained, he felt all of the tension that had started to build once again melt away as she seated him and got behind him, running her brush through his long silver hair. "Kouga and Myouga both said that their memories are changing." She explained. "Kouga said that he remembered that you disappeared, presumed dead, after the fight that killed InuYasha, but he said he can also remember that you ruled for a long time in your kingdom and died nobly defending your lands from a monster that threatened it, and InuYasha he said lived with you in your lands, that you took care of him, but would never give him royal title because he was a hanyou."

Sesshomaru closed his eyes thoughtfully. When he opened them again he would see still only blackness. "It doesn't make any sense."

"Something is wrong, regardless of if it makes sense Sesshomaru. Something is going on, and I don't know what it is." Kagome said. She continued to brush his hair the entire time, as if it were easier to talk to him while her hands were moving, or maybe, she hoped to quell his temper should he not like what she was saying, he couldn't be certain about it. Sesshomaru crossed his long legs tightly at the knee; Kagome giggled slightly when she noticed it twitch every time she ran the brush over those long silver locks. Biting her lip she began to brush it more and more even though it was already completely brushed, not so much to relax him, but more to watch that leg twitch.

"Kagome?" Sesshomaru said.

"Yeah?" She asked, smiling some at the back of his head. He turned sharply, her eyes widening as that single hand moved with extreme accuracy despite his inability to see and snatched the brush from her hand.

"Stop that!" He growled, turning back away from her.

"But it is cute." She insisted. Sesshomaru huffed and got up walking away from her now. She just smiled and shook her head. "Well it is!" She insisted.

"Myouga." Sesshomaru said walking over to the old flea, located once more on the cat that arched it's back at him, hissed and attempted to flee from him. Sesshomaru darted forward catching the animal gracelessly by the tail, a fact that wouldn't have happened that way, could he have seen it. The cat rolled on its back, kicking its feet at him hissing and growling. He felt the flea jump from the cat onto his hand and released the animal, listening to its retreat.

"Sesshomaru-sama." He said bowing to him. He only knew the flea bowed because he felt the flea's beard on his hand.

"Will my sight return?" He asked him. His voice somewhat humbled.

"Yes Sesshomaru-sama. When the great Inu Taisho-sama was illed by a fever like this, his sight was gone for a month, but then returned when his eyes regenerated." The flea said sagely.

"A month!" Sesshomaru growled. "Unacceptable!"

"You don't have a choice Sesshomaru-sama. You're eyes are damaged!" The flea argued.

"How will this Sesshomaru survive a month like this?" He asked.

"Here, come with me." The flea said, he talked to Sesshomaru so that the Inu could follow him, first he brought the Inu Prince to a tree, it wasn't the god tree, or anything nearly so wonderful. Just a tree. Around the bottom of the tree were several long branches that had fallen off of the tree. "The first thing you must do Sesshomaru-sama is stop worrying about what others think of you." He said. He found a good stick for him and called him over. "People will pity you, you have no sight and only one arm. But that does not mean you are useless."

"It certainly seems that way." He growled, almost more to himself than actually speaking to Myouga.

"It does. But it is not the case. Now, we will do for you, what Inu Taisho-sama taught himself." The flea said. "First take the stick I am standing on."

Sesshomaru reached down, taking the stick in his one good arm, and fingering over it before lifting it and placing it on the ground like a blind man would with it out in front of him.

"Whatchyah doin'?" A voice came. Sesshomaru growled and turned, his eyes flaring red though they didn't see, they still changed color. He knew the voice and the scent as Kagome's little brother, Sota.

"Ah good!" Myouga said. "I will need your help. Come. Come."

The boy was more than glad to help, but Sesshomaru didn't want him there. It had taken all the pride he could muster just to ask Myouga for help, but this child too. Unthinkable.

"Sota, take the stick from Sesshomaru-sama for a moment." The old flea said, he canted his head some hearing the boy's approach, it was slow and very steadied so that he didn't seem nervous, but that, Sesshomaru could smell. He didn't fight, when Sota's hand touched the stick, Sesshomaru relinquished it into his care. "Now, Sesshomaru-sama. Feel the land, the air around you." The flea said as he was clearly moving away from Sesshomaru. "There are trees all around you, I want you to sprint forward until you get to me, and do so without hitting any trees."

"But how?" He started, but remembered that the boy was there, he would not seem weak in front of this human. "Very well." He said. He started forward, his speed picking up. The black stream of movement pulsing by a black screen of haze. A sudden pain flared through his face and chest as he hit a tree, stumbling back and landing flat on his ass, no grace, no dignity, no poise on a large flat rock near the tree. He felt the warm rush from the blood oozing from where the bark had cut his face and felt very foolish.

"Try again." The old flea said. Sesshomaru stood again. Sota took his hand when instructed and led him back to where they had started. He placed his feet and readied himself. Again he started forward, this time trying to concentrate, when he heard his feet touch the large flat rock he had landed on he swerved, feeling the tree brush the armless sleeve as he edged around it he felt a moment of victory before the next impact came. Once more he connected with one of the trees and landed on his back end. This time the strong scent of buttercups rose into the air when he landed. He thought for a moment.

"Whelp, come here." He said, as he came to his feet. "Show me the way back."

"Try again Sesshomaru-sama." The flea instructed, but he didn't need to, because the crowned prince was starting to see the point. Feel out his surroundings. This time when Sesshomaru came forward he would again narrowly miss the first tree due to the sound of his feet on the stone, and then, when his feet touched down and the overwhelming scent of buttercups hit him, he would swerve again. And again he narrowly missed the tree with his grace and poise, but there was another tree.

"Good job Sesshomaru-sama!" Sota called, and something sounded distorted to Sesshomaru, he gasped, his good hand reaching out and in front of him, able to stop just short of the tree. What had that been? He had never noticed the way sound distorted because of objects.

"Very impressive Sesshomaru-sama!" Myouga said gleefully, he had caught on better than the old flea hoped that he would. "You see, you are not a prisoner of the blackness, you are the king of it, as you were the king of your own world!"

"This Sesshomaru understands now." He said softly, thoughtfully. "Boy, bring me to the beginning and give me the stick." Sota came to him, taking his clawed hand into his own he led Sesshomaru back to the beginning of the course. Sesshomaru took the stick and tapped it until he found a rock, then he would tap it against the rock. The sounds flexed, but not nearly well enough to determine the course all the way to where Myouga was. The stick didn't vibrate well enough. _What will keep a pitch?_ Sesshomaru wondered softly, he could growl as he moved, but he was sure the vibrations coming from his own chest would drown out the distortions around him. He jumped as something clattered to the earth, the ringing as true as sound, and suddenly, in his mind's eye it was as if the entire meadow had opened up. He could hear the sounds bounce off of things, feeding it back until his mind had constructed for him, what the entire clearing in the woods must look like!

"Gomen! Gomen! Baka Sota! Gomen!" The boy was clambering, Sesshomaru smelled now that the boy had been eating.

"What did you drop boy?" Sesshomaru insisted.

"My f…fork Sesshomaru-sama." The boy answered nervously. Sesshomaru moved forward, toward the epicenter of the sound, stepping over a rock he could hear there before the fork finally laid still, now he was blind again, tripping over the next rock and landing roughly on his knees.

"Give it to me." He insisted. Without any complaints the boy did as he was told. Sesshomaru struck the fork against the rock he tripped over and suddenly the world was clear to him again. His hearing was so sensitive that he could make out basic shapes. But certainly he couldn't carry a fork around with him at all times could he? No, that wouldn't do at all. Instead he would sit and think as the world slowly sank into silent darkness again. Occasionally, when a cricket chirped, or a bird sounded its call the world would light up again for him, for a moment and then vanish. It would be enough for him to decipher where he was, but useless because as soon as he was in motion again, the noise would all stop. "Take me to the beginning whelp." He said to the boy, who immediately complied, he heard his feet striking the ground as he approached him. He would come to his feet now after almost an hour of quiet contemplation and extend his hand for the boy's aid. He was brought to the area that now smelled like him from him standing there so many times. "Now stand back."

The boy moved back as Sesshomaru's hand slipped over his stomach and reached for the handle of the blades he carried now. His fingers flickering over the handle of Tokijin and then deciding that it was best to use Tenseiga instead. His fingers coiled over the textured handle and he drew it, holding it straight out at his side he stood thoughtfully, bringing the blade to the ground now he would spin, dragging the tip, at arm's length across the ground, creating the famous point of no return circle, but it caused the blade to vibrate and dance and sing in his ears, seeing the sounds explode in all directions he would dart forward, the first tree coming up on his right, with the sword dragging behind him he could hear it clear as sight, he dodged it with ease, the second tree to his left, again like a sighted youkai he dodged the obstacle, and finally he came to a log, jumping up and over it, he turned mid-jump, slamming the blade down so that it embedded into the log only centimeters from the youkai flea that sat upon it.

"If this was Tokijin, and you the enemy Myouga. You would be dead." Sesshomaru said. His chest and head filling with pride as he did so.

"EXCELLENT!" Myouga called out hopping up the blade and onto Sesshomaru's shoulder. "I think we should drink to your success!" He cried out, sticking his pin like nose into Sesshomaru's neck. Sesshomaru growled and smacked him flat, flicking him off his shoulder, he placed the blade away and took the stick again, tapping it lightly as he walked back to the house with Sota, he realized that he didn't need to hold the boy's hand, a fact which offered a very stressed Sesshomaru a great deal of peace.

Sesshomaru had over done it. When Sota came in telling her all that had happened it didn't surprise Kagome when he vanished into the bathroom and didn't come out for hours, just sitting in the tub thinking she supposed. But then again Kagome didn't even pretend to understand what was going on inside Sesshomaru's head. He was as enigmatic as they came. She sat in her room thinking, her headphones on. Her mother said that now that Sesshomaru was doing a little better, Kagome had to go back to school, she had missed too much already. There was a knock on the door.

"Yeah?" Kagome asked, she pulled her headset off of her ears and Sota opened the door, Kouga entered next, he had a wet and disheveled looking Sesshomaru under the arm. He must have passed out in the tub.

"You're Mum asked me to bring the rat up here." Kouga complained.

"Thanks Kouga." Kagome said smiling at him. "Just get him in the bed." Kouga did as he was told, standing nearby as Kagome checked Sesshomaru's wounds. They were starting to heal finally, meaning the poisons must be almost out of the wounds. She pulled the gauze out of her first aid kit, and with Kouga's help to sit him up, wrapped his wounds for what seemed like the millionth time. She was relieved to see that the yellowing of the prior bandages was far less than they had been.

Sesshomaru slept for two days. She wasn't surprised by it, he had indeed over done it, and now he was paying for it. She had to use rope to bind his hand back to keep him from clawing at his eyes. Myouga said that it was because his eyes were regenerating and undoubtedly it itched horridly, she also had to tie him around the waist to keep him from bringing his body up to his hand, seeing as he had only one arm to bind above. On the third day she came home from school and fell, completely exhausted from spending all her time on school, then, while tending to Sesshomaru she was also doing homework, and housework, it felt as if her day had only just ended, and she just laid her head down before her alarm clock was going off again.

She wasn't sure when she had fallen asleep, but she awoke to the sound of her name, growled harshly into the air. She started, her feet kicking back, falling flat on her back on the floor chair and all. There was no laugh, not humor found at her expense, only another annoyed growl.

"Yes majesty." She growled irritably.

"Why is this Sesshomaru chained to the bed." He growled.

"Because that Sesshomaru was trying to claw his eyes out." She huffed getting to her feet her hands on her hips.

"Why do you mock this Sesshomaru?" He asked, his golden eyes narrowing some. After all the hell he had caused her, InuYasha and all of the others that she knew and loved, there was something gratifying about seeing him strapped to a bed like a drunken prom date.

"Because this Sesshomaru is still talking to this Kagome like he is all high and mighty and this Kagome is frankly sick of it." She huffed. He gave her a confused and bitter arch of his brow. She had started to learn the difference in the eyebrow quirk that had many meanings from, I love you, to I want you dead, all with a simple gesture of raising the brow over his left eye, not more than a centimeter from where it was.

"Do you think that this Sesshomaru likes this? Do you think that being in debt to a human miko is This Sesshomaru's idea of fun?" He growled at her.

"Oh I think this is a lot easier for you." She huffed. "I am going to school for six hours of the day, then spend the other nine hours trying to get my housework and schoolwork done all the while tending to your ornery ass, and somewhere in that I think you have it easy!"

"Really?" He growled pulling against his restraints. Without Kouga there, she was suddenly very happy that she had secured him. "Does this Miko think that it is easy to sit in the debt of her? Does this Miko think that This Sesshomaru likes being unable to see? Does this Miko think that this Sesshomaru is amused with his current state, so weakened that two hours of running makes him sleep for days on end. Does this Miko think that this Sesshomaru likes smelling like wolf because he had to lean on one just to get out of the tub?" His temper flaring, she just stared at him. He had read enough to figure out that shifting in this day and time would be bad.

"You know what Sesshomaru, right now, I don't care!" She huffed turning back to the desk and picking up the chair. "That Sesshomaru can stay tied to the bed until he learns some manners or get strong enough to break those binds!"

With that she sank into the seat and picked up her pen. He was impossible; she didn't know how Rin did it? How did that sweet little child put up with Sesshomaru's constant bitching and incessant annoying growling? She was lost.

"Bitch." She didn't answer him, only kept writing.

Five minutes later.

"Wench!" He was more irritated now. She kept writing.

Ten minutes later.

"Damnit!" A hint of desperation in his voice now. She kept writing.

Fifteen minutes later.

"Kagome." He said defeated some.

"Yes Sesshomaru." She said turning to him once he had used her proper name.

"Untie this Sesshomaru." He said looking icily at her.

"No." She said turning back to the desk.

Ten minutes later.

"Kagome." He said again.

"Yes Sesshomaru." She said turning to him once more.

"This Sesshomaru…" As soon as he said that she turned away. He growled, ready to kill her now.

Five minutes later.

"Kagome." He said again.

"Yes Sesshomaru." She said turning to him once more.

"Untie _me_" He said.

"No." She turned away.

Five minutes later.

"Damnit Kagome!" He growled.

"What the hell do you want!" She hissed. Annoyed now.

"This Sesshomaru…" She turned away.

"_Kagome!_"

"_WHAT!_"

"I have to go to the bath room…"

Kagome was so completely shocked by this that she simply turned and looked at him. Her brown eyes wide and staring.

"What?" She wasn't sure that she heard him right. He had never said anything of the sort before.

"I must insist that you do not force me to repeat myself." Sesshomaru murred gently, he didn't want to have to tell her this again. It was a rather personal issue, one that was just not discussed, but she had left him no alternative.

Sesshomaru felt the binds on his hand slack and the rope around his waist released and he sat up, shaking out his hand. He would kick his feet over the bed and onto the floor, coming to his feet fairly gracefully. As Kagome took his arm he counted the steps to each turn towards the bathroom, so that he could freely walk this path as he had done many times before. He felt like a war dog. Left out on the post for days, tied tight, no food, no water until it was willing to do anything to comply. His pride was injured, and it seemed to affect him more than any of his physical ailments did.

"I can come back on my own." He said, careful to use the first person when speaking. He felt like he had to, least she find a way to bind him down again. He heard her walk away and stepped into the bathroom, drawing his dagger from his belt he tapped it against the wall so that the room lit up, moving to the shape that was most like the 'toilet' that he had been told about and had to use so many times. First his hand came in contact with the washing basin, certainly it would not be good to urinate in it, so he moved next to the next shape, and struck gold.

After finishing his business Sesshomaru moved back to Kagome's room by following and counting the footsteps. When he entered he sniffed the air, while the whole room smelled of her, it was all stale scents and he could tell that she wasn't there. He moved over now, tapping the dagger against the wall and listening to, and counting his steps, to the window. It still smelled faintly of InuYasha, he would run a hand over the wood. He never thought that he could miss his half-brother; he was a hanyou, and a human lover. He was… he was… admittedly more like his father than he. That was a fact that had prompted Inu Taisho to give Tetsusaiga to InuYasha and Tenseiga to himself. Slowly he brought himself to sit on the edge, losing himself to thoughts, only rousing when the smell of food came to him.

"I don't need it." He said absently.

"I know." Kagome's voice answered, "It is mine. I just didn't want to leave you up here alone."

"Why not?" Sesshomaru said, not turning to face her, he didn't see the point in it seeing as she knew his condition, and it was far less straining on him to try not to follow her voice and location with his ears.

"Because… I thought…" Kagome started. She didn't finish at first. He could hear her moving over and setting a cup next to him, warm green tea, hinted with lemon and honey. He would reach his hand toward the heated cup and lift it without turning his gaze from the window.

"You thought?" He remarked some moments later.

"I thought maybe I could ask you a few things." She said softly. He could tell from the change in her tones that she had glanced now to the floor.

"If it pleases you this Sess… I… will answer you." He said passively.

"Why did the well let you in?" She asked.

"I don't know." He answered, his body shifting some and his brow raising some in thought. "I can't answer that question because I was not conscious at the time."

"Do you regret that it did?" She asked next.

"Why do you ask such irrelevant question?" He snapped.

"They are relevant to me to understand you!" She responded.

"You don't need to understand me!" He growled. "Next."

"How…" She stumbled over her words, her voice dripping in emotion; he could smell the salty scent of her tears. "How did… InuYasha die?" She asked. She had asked before, but this time she wanted more specifics.

"Fighting Rimiku, we were fighting him together." Sesshomaru recounted, his voice cold and stoic as though he were reading off names out of a phone book. "He was trying to bate me to surrender to him. Rimiku has the ability to create a pulse that vibrates the air, and anything in it. He aimed that pulse at InuYasha's brain. He bled from his eyes, his ears, his nose, and eventually stopped twitching. The same with Rin, and with Jakken."

"Did you watch?" She asked.

"No. I was fighting the dragon then." He said. "I wouldn't have let the only ally I had left in this battle die."

"No, I meant Rin." She asked, her voice soft then. "Did you have to watch Rin die?"

"Indeed." He answered nodding to her.

"Why didn't you bring her back? Why didn't you bring InuYasha back?" She asked.

"He burned them. Burned them to ash, so there was nothing left to bring back." He answered.

"And what does this Rimiku want from you?" She asked. Sesshomaru didn't answer for a long time. He sat, sipping his cooling tea, Kagome had apparently forgotten about her meal.

"He wants me to be his dog." Sesshomaru answered finally.

"What?" Kagome gasped. She couldn't think of Sesshomaru as anyone's dog, let alone the dog of a mere child.

"His pet. He said I needed to be at his side like the dog that I was." Sesshomaru answered. "Don't make me repeat that again."

"No…no of course not." She answered softly, blinking some. "Sesshomaru?"

"Yes Kagome?" He said sipping his tea once more.

"Do you think that it hurt badly?" She said softly. "When InuYasha, Rin and Jakken died?"

"Yes Kagome." He answered solemnly.

"Sesshomaru?"

"Yes Kagome."

"Do you believe you are still without an ally?" She asked him.

"Yes Kagome." He answered.

"You are wrong." She said clearly.

"This Sesshomaru is never wrong." He answered, raising a brow at the window pain.

"Ok, than you are mistaken." She said with a giggle. "You are not alone. You have me."

"Kagome?"

"Yes Sesshomaru?"

"Why?"

"Why? Why what?"

"Why are you my ally."

"Because, he killed Rin, that poor sweet girl, and Jakken… well I am sure there is a reason that is bad… and InuYasha, and who knows how many others." She said with a resolve that surprised him. "Because he is evil, like Naraku was evil, and maybe I am supposed to go back there with you."

Sesshomaru nodded.

"Because. I don't know." She said thoughtfully. "Because I have too that's all."


End file.
